HOW THE MAFIA'S HOLD ON ITALY'S POLITICAL LEADERS WAS BROKEN

According to an old Italian saying, Chi dorme coi cane si sveglia colle pulci (Who sleeps with dogs gets up with fleas). For proof, look no further than the history of Italy's now shattered Christian Democratic (DC) Party. After World War II, with Washington's tacit approval, some DC leaders formed an unofficial partnership with Sicily's Mafia to block the ominous growth of communism on the strategically important island. The Communists and their then allies the Socialists had together captured 30% of Sicily's vote in the 1947 elections, in contrast to 21% for the Christian Democrats.